Domestic Dimension of the Arab-Israeli Conflict

The Domestic Dimension of the Arab-Israeli
Conflict Muqtedar Khan, Ph.D.

For
decades pro-Israeli lobbyists have operated under the
assumption that Islam and Israel are locked up in a
zero-sum-game. They see the growth of Islam and growth of
Islamic consciousness as a threat to the very existence of
Israel. Based on this operating premise, pro-Israeli forces
have sought to undermine the spread of Islam in the US and
stem the increasing political significance of Muslim
organizations.

It is easy to understand the fears of the
friends of Israel. In order to sustain Israel’s military
advantage over Arabs, they have to sustain the asymmetrical
balance of power between American Jewish lobby and the
American Muslim lobby.

In the post Sept. 11th politics,
this domestic and not so visible dimension of the
Arab-Israeli conflict has become more and more hectic. While
pro-Israeli Jewish organizations are flooding American media
with information allegedly linking Muslim organizations with
terrorists (often the tips come in the form of oral and
written records of careless statements by Muslim leaders),
Muslim organizations and activists are working feverishly to
argue that terrorism is a consequence of Israeli atrocities
against Palestinians and US foreign policy in the Middle
East. Some Muslims have even tried to plant the idea that
Israelis may have committed the attacks of 911.

This
Muslim-Jewish byplay is not good for the social health of
America and already long-standing Muslim-Jewish dialogues
have suffered because of this rise in Muslim-Jewish tension.
While Muslims definitely share responsibility for this state
of affairs, a disproportionate amount of attacks are coming
from the Jewish side. American Muslims are already besieged
by the administration’s treatment of American Muslims as
suspects and the additional attacks from their cousins (Jews
and Muslims are biblical cousins from the two sons of
Prophet Abraham) are making things worse.

Perhaps the
Bush administration already senses this as can be seen by
Mrs. Cheney’s comments at the Anti-defamation League dinner
in Chicago (Nov 12). She said, “Muslims should not be blamed
"for the actions of a fanatic few." President Bush himself
has condemned anti-Muslim and anti-Islamic xenophobia. The
attacks on Islam however have continued and it seems that
there is a method behind this madness. The attacks seem to
be systematic and at many levels.

1. The first major
strike was launched by the American Jewish Committee (AJC),
which published a study estimating American Muslim
population to about 2.6 million. The general opinion is that
there are between 6-7 million Muslims in America. AJC is
concerned that over estimation of Muslim population is
making American politicians and American media more
sensitive to American Muslim concerns. The study is actually
not even a real survey but a review article that merely
studies other estimates and then advances its own
guestimate.

The timing of the report, after Sept. 11th,
when the American Muslim community was already battered
verbally and even in some cases physically by rising
anti-Muslim sentiment, is indicative of the strategic animus
behind the study.

Imagine any other religious community,
Catholics, Baptists, or Muslims conducting a survey of how
many Jews really live in America. This would be immediately
construed as anti-Semitic and there would be a huge uproar
against such bigotry. But AJC has suffered no backlash from
anyone in the media or the government.

2. Then there are
attacks against American Muslim organizations and their
leaders. Prominent spokespersons are Daniel Pipes of the
Middle East Forum in Philadelphia, an openly pro-Israeli
think tank and Steve Emerson a documentarian of Muslim
organizations; who have been trying to paint prominent
Muslim organizations as terrorist organizations and Muslim
leaders as sympathizers and supporters of terrorism. The
objective is clear. By labeling prominent Muslim
organizations as “connected with terror” and Muslim leaders
as supportive of terrorism, Pipes et al are trying to disarm
the community in its struggle against Islamophoebia. By
undermining Muslim organizations, they also hope to reduce
Muslim access to the Congress and the White House.

In
spite of several articles in the media and accusations on TV
against American Muslim organizations and American Muslim
leaders by Pipes and Emerson, and repeated investigations by
the FBI, none has been indicted or arrested. American Muslim
leaders and organizations’ only failing is that they have
not fully learned to play “American political games”
skillfully. Sometimes their naivete and even sincerity leads
them to make strategic errors as they seek to balance their
loyalties to America and to Muslims worldwide. Riding two
horses is never too easy and sometimes, Muslim leaders do
look ungainly. But that does not make them terrorists or
traitors. If it is ok to be loyal to America and Israel,
then it is ok to be loyal to America and the Ummah. Only
American Muslims have to learn to be so with as much skill
and finesse as displayed by pro-Israeli lobbies.

3. The
most sophisticated version of the attack on Islam is the
attempt to besmirch the reputation of prominent American
scholars of Islam and the Middle East who advance different
analysis of Islam and Islamic resurgence from that
maintained by Israel. A recent book, Ivory Towers on Sand:
The Failure of Middle Eastern Studies in America authored by
an Israeli scholar, Martin Kramer, and published after Sept.
11th by a pro-Israel think tank, The Washington Institute
for Near East Policy, criticizes the entire academy.
Interestingly this book is just an expanded version of an
article written by (no prizes for guessing) Daniel Pipes and
De Atkine, Middle Eastern Studies: What went Wrong? in the
Winter 1995-1996 issue of Academic Questions.

All these
attacks by the Israeli lobby are designed to undermine and
even rollback the growing influence of American Muslims.

But this is not the time for political intramurals.

I
call upon American leaders, American media, American Muslims
and Jews, and all other Americans to rise above sectarian
and special interests in order to help America recover from
the aftermath of Sept. 11, and devote their energies to
guarantee American security, protect American freedoms, and
revive American economy. Once we have the boat on an even
keel, we can return to partisanship and bickering, after all
they are also a quintessential part of the American way.

------

- Dr. Muqtedar Khan is the
Director of International Studies at Adrian College in
Michigan. He is also the Vice President of the Association
of Muslim Social Scientists and is on the board of the
Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy.

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